Pensions modelling

Valuable insights into the problem of how to fund defined benefitpension schemes can be obtained by analysis using the standardBlack–Scholes/Merton option pricing model, consideringthe pension fund finances jointly with those of the sponsoringcompany. The nature of the fund assets and liabilities is completelydifferent, and this lies behind current controversies aboutthe appropriate discount rate, valuation, financial accountingand preferential status for pension fund claimants in insolvency.     

A premium principle based on the g-integral

A novel approach of calculating an insurance premium based on g-integrals and interval-valued integrals is introduced. The characterization theorem for the g-integral-based premium principle is proven, and the relations with some well-known premium principles are discussed. The main properties of the interval-valued premium principle based on the g-integral are presented and some illustrative examples are given.     

Cryptanalysis of fair quantum blind signatures

We investigate the fair quantum blind signature scheme proposed by Wang and Wen [Wang T Y and Wen Q Y 2010 Chin.Phys.B 19 060307],which uses the fundamental properties of quantum mechanics and the availability of a trusted arbitrator.However,in this paper,we find that the protocol cannot satisfy the property of non-forgeability even under the condition that the trusted arbitrator is totally credible.Moreover,a simple feasible suggestion for improving the protocol is proposed.     

On a kind of integrals of empirical processes concerning insurance risk

This paper proves the strong consistence and the central limit theorems for empirical right tail deviations.     

An Intersection Theorem on an Unbounded Set and Its Application to the Fair Allocation Problem

We prove the following theorem. Let m and n be any positive integers with mn, and let be a subset of the n-dimensional Euclidean space ⁿ . For each i=1, . . . , m, there is a class of subsets M _i ^j of ^Tn . Assume that for each i=1, . . . , m, that M _i ^j is nonempty and closed for all i, j, and that there exists a real number B(i, j) such that and its jth component _{xjB(i, j)} imply . Then, there exists a partition of {1, . . . , n} such that for all i and We prove this theorem based upon a generalization of a well-known theorem of Birkhoff and von Neumann. Moreover, we apply this theorem to the fair allocation problem of indivisible objects with money and obtain an existence theorem.     

On the consistency of credibility premiums regarding Esscher principle

In this paper, we investigate the problems of convergence of experience-based ratemakings regarding the Esscher principle. In addition to the Bayes and the classical credibility premiums, we suggest a new credibility formula for the Esscher premium. Then we show the convergence of the Bayes and the newly defined credibility premiums towards the individual premium and point out that the classical credibility premium does not generally converge to the individual premium by presenting a sufficient and necessary condition under which the classical credibility Esscher premium converges to the individual premium. A simulation study is carried out to illustrate the theoretical conclusions.     

Sensitivity analysis of the moments of the profit on an Income Protection Policy

The main purpose of this paper is to perform a sensitivity analysis where we quantify and analyse the effects on the mean of the profit on an Income Protection policy and two risk measures of changing the values of the transition intensities. All the calculations carried out are based on a multiple state model for Income Protection proposed in Continuous Mortality Investigation Committee (Continuous Mortality Investigation Reports 1991; 12 ). Within this model, we derive a formula for the mean of the profit, which enables to evaluate it more efficiently. In order to calculate the two risk measures we use the numerical algorithms for the calculation of the moments of the profit proposed by Waters (Insurance: Mathematics and Economics 1990; 9 :101–113). We carry out the sensitivity analysis considering two different situations: in the first situation, we update the premium rates used to calculate the moments of the profit, according to the changes in the values of the transition intensities; in the second one, we do not update the premium rates. Both analyses are of practical interest to insurance companies selling Income Protection policies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Third-order extensions of Lo’s semiparametric bound for European call options

Computing semiparametric bounds for option prices is a widely studied pricing technique. In contrast to parametric pricing techniques, such as Monte-Carlo simulations, semiparametric pricing techniques do not require strong assumptions about the underlying asset price distribution. We extend classical results in this area. Specifically, we derive closed-form semiparametric bounds for the payoff of a European call option, given up to third-order moment (i.e., mean, variance, and skewness) information on the underlying asset price. We analyze how these bounds tighten the corresponding bounds, when only second-order moment (i.e., mean and variance) information is provided. We describe applications of these results in the context of option pricing; as well as in other areas such as inventory management, and actuarial science.     

Asymmetric impacts of global risk appetite on the risk premium for an emerging market

This paper analyzes the impact of global risk appetite on the risk premium utilizing high-frequency data. Taking the Turkish economy as our laboratory, we find that the risk premium volatility responds only to a worsening in the risk appetite for the Turkish economy, which is a result that we do not observe for the other emerging markets. Then, we investigate the role of current account dynamics on this asymmetric effect, by focusing also on an economy with similar current account performance. The empirical results find supporting evidence for the role of current account dynamics on the estimated asymmetry.